Surprise
by Agent Firefly
Summary: Meryl's on her second sundae. What's keeping Millie? (Short and sweet Meryl/Millie fluff, based on a one-line prompt)


**Surprise**

* * *

Meryl yawned and stretched her arms over her head. After their ordeal on the sand steamer, she was glad to be back on steady ground. But now that she'd had a moment to breathe, Meryl realized just how exhausted she really was.

 _I wonder what's keeping Millie. There must be a hotel somewhere in this town that we can afford._ She rested her chin on her palm, then called the bartender over to order another banana sundae.

It had been weeks since Meryl spent a night in her own bed. Months, maybe. By now, she ought to have been used to the constant commotion. After all, Meryl secretly lived for the excitement. She would never have taken the job if it wasn't for the risks involved. To top it all off, Meryl got to share this adventure with her favorite person. She was really very fortunate.

But there were days when Meryl woke up in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar town, that she felt suddenly and incredibly lonely.

Meryl sighed, twirling her spoon in the bowl of dessert before her. She wasn't quite so hungry now. Unlatching a lock on her suitcase, Meryl lifted out her typewriter and set it on the table. Might as well make good use of the time. There were a lot of reports to catch up on.

Almost two hours passed before Millie returned to the bar, flustered and breathless but smiling just the same.

"Where have you been all afternoon?" Meryl asked. "Don't tell me you had to walk to the next town to find us a cheap motel."

Millie giggled. "Of course not! There's a nice inn right up the road from here."

"Then what took you so long?" Meryl packed up her files and paid her tab. "I swear, Millie, sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours."

Another carefree laugh. It was Millie's laughter that crumbled Meryl's defenses every time, without fail. Meryl's one true weakness. "Come on," she muttered. "Let's go."

The inn was small and unremarkable. Millie waved to the old woman at the reception desk as they headed up the creaky staircase. When they reached the door to their room, Millie grabbed Meryl by the shoulders. "Wait!"

Meryl jumped about a foot in the air. "What the hell, Millie?"

"You have to close your eyes!" Millie declared.

"Why?"

"Just close them." Millie circled her arms around Meryl, covering her eyes. " _Now_ you can open the door."

Meryl turned the knob, perplexed. Millie guided her forward a few steps, then stopped. Meryl wrinkled her forehead. "What's going on, Mil? What's this all about? Are you just going to— _hm?_ " Meryl sniffed the air. "Is that—? My God. Is that _lavender?_ "

"Surprise," Millie said gleefully, lowering her hands from Meryl's eyes.

Meryl blinked. The room was small and cramped. Its tiny window barely let in a sliver of evening light. And it would have been terribly dark and dismal, except that someone had filled the room with hundreds of warm, flickering lights.

Candles lined the walls, the nightstand, the windowsill. A washtub had been filled with clean, steaming hot water. And on the pillowcase, there lay a fresh green sprig of something that Meryl had not seen since she was a child. She stepped closer, reaching down to touch it. The scent of lavender brought back memories of her father's garden, a place she thought she'd completely forgotten. Meryl held the stem close to her face and breathed in deep. Tears pricked at her eyes.

"Where did you get this?" Meryl whispered.

"I met a nice grandma and grandpa at a shop in town. They have a geo-plant on the outskirts of the city."

Meryl laid the lavender sprig on the bed and scrubbed her sleeve over her eyes. "I can't believe you remembered."

"You've been looking so down lately. I wanted to make you happy."

An unexpected sob hitched in Meryl's chest. She sniffled quietly and smiled. "You did all of this…for me?"

Two soft hands rested on her shoulders, two soft lips brushed her cheek. "Welcome home," Millie whispered.

Meryl curled her arms around Millie's waist and pulled her close. Standing on her toes, she craned her neck to kiss her favorite person, the person who felt more like home than any place ever had.

"I love you," Meryl said.

Millie was so embarrassed that all she could do was laugh. But that was the most beautiful sound Meryl had heard all day.


End file.
